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Where is Your Faith? Where is Your Faith? Luke 8:22—25 Faith: Persuasion, moral conviction; especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary Today many people claim to have faith in Jesus as the Christ the son of God. The question remains, do they simply believe or are they persuaded beyond all doubt to rely upon Christ for their salvation? Best-selling author, Barbara Johnson, tells a light-hearted story about a man who struggled to understand the balance between faith and works. A farmer of great faith became a flood victim when an adjoining river started extending beyond its banks. Although the flood was extremely serious, the waters rose rather gradually. At first the farmer had plenty of time to vacate his place, but he chose to trust God. A neighbor drove to the farmer’s house in a jeep and urged him to leave while there was a safe passage out. The farmer assured his friend that, “God will save me.” The waters continued to rise and the man was forced to the second story of his house. Members of the local police department pulled alongside the farmer’s upstairs balcony in a boat and told the man to get in. He graciously expressed appreciation for their concern but said, “That won’t be necessary. God will save me.” Within just a few hours the waters started to rise more quickly and the current began moving more rapidly. The man was forced onto the rooftop. As he sat clutching the bricks of his chimney, a helicopter swooped in for a daring rescue. The farmer waived off the dangling sling and yelled, “God’s gonna save me.” Shortly thereafter the man was washed away to his death. When he stood before the Lord he demanded an answer for God’s negligence. God replied, “What do you mean? I sent a jeep, a boat, and a helicopter, but you wouldn’t budge!” Faith is believing God will do his part while works is making sure we do our part. I’m So Glad You Told Me What I Didn’t Wanna Hear, Barbara Johnson, 1996, p. 157 I. Doing our Part A. There is a huge difference between doing our part and earning salvation. B. It is impossible to do enough works to earn salvation. (Ephesians 2:8—10) C. It is also impossible to continue in your salvation without works. (James 2:14—17) II. Trusting God to do his Part A. God has promised numerous blessings to his obedient children. B. Sometimes the hardest thing for Christians is to trust then obey. (Matthew 6:28—34) Koi are exotic fish that originated in Japan. The Japanese revere these fish and Americans are collecting them in rapidly increasing numbers. They come in at least sixty varieties, and no two fish are exactly alike. For the amateur collector, you can buy a small domestic koi for as little as $7.50. The starting price for a respectable Japanese koi is $500, and a grown Japanese koi can be sold for as much as $10,000. The most unusual aspect of these exotic fish is how they grow. Koi can grow up to three feet in length or remain just a few inches long. Their growth is determined by the size of the pond. If the pond is large, the fish will be large. If the pond is small, the fish will remain small. Regardless of their size, they can live up to seventy-five years. Faith seems to have koilike qualities in that it grows or remains small based on the environment in which we keep it. If we surround ourselves with few challenges and small aspirations for spiritual growth, then our faith will stay small. But if we stretch our faith and seek to know God in all of his fullness, then we will end up with a larger view of God and an ever-increasing faith. Bits & Pieces, March 28, 1996, p. 15–17; Houston Chronicle, Oct. 12, 1997 Mitchell Skelton, Minister Midway church of Christ www.TheLordsWay.com/Midway |